BLACKWOOD: THE BATTLEFIELD TURNED BLOODBATH

The victory should have been Sera’s moment of triumph.
Instead, it became the beginning of the most chaotic and dangerous clash Blackwood had ever seen.

Just minutes after Sera’s squad captured the enemy command post, the loudspeakers crackled—then died. Lights around the field flickered. Smoke thickened unnaturally. Something was wrong.

Then the alarms wailed.
Long, sharp, urgent.
A real emergency signal.

Cadets froze. Instructors shouted. Lieutenant Reynolds sprinted forward.

Before Sera could react, masked intruders—black-clad, agile, and armed with shock-batons—emerged from the tree line like shadows turned solid.

This was no simulation.
This was a breach.

“SQUAD, FORM UP!” Sera shouted.

Her instincts snapped into place.

THE FIRST STRIKE

One of the intruders lunged toward her—fast.

Sera dodged, feeling the electric baton graze the air inches from her face. With a fluid motion, she stepped in, grabbed his wrist, twisted, and slammed her elbow into his jaw. He crumpled, but another attacker was already behind her.

Liam tackled him before the baton landed.

“Where the hell did they come from?!” he shouted.

“No idea—eyes up!” Sera yelled.

Across the field, cadets were being overwhelmed. Smoke grenades burst. Shock-batons cracked like lightning. Chaos swallowed the war game.

AN ALL-OUT BRAWL

Three attackers zeroed in on Sera.
She could feel adrenaline flooding every muscle.

They rushed her at once.

The first swung high.
She ducked, drove her fist into his stomach, and swept his legs.

The second jabbed at her ribs.
She grabbed his forearm, pivoted, and flipped him over her shoulder.

The third came from behind.
Too quiet. Too fast.

Sera barely blocked the strike, the electric surge singing through her arm. Pain shot up to her shoulder.

She gritted her teeth and round-kicked him hard enough to knock his mask sideways.

The man stumbled—then charged again.

Sera caught his collar, yanked him forward, and rammed her knee into his nose. Blood spattered.

He dropped.

Her squad stared at her, stunned.

“MOVE! DEFEND THE CONTROL TOWER!” she barked.

They obeyed instantly.

A SABOTAGED BATTLEFIELD

But as they sprinted toward the tower, the ground vibrated.

Boom.

A shock blast threw dirt, debris, and cadets in every direction. Sera hit the ground hard. Her ears rang. When she pushed herself up, she saw the impossible:

Some intruders were fighting each other.

“This isn’t one faction,” she muttered. “Someone sent in multiple groups.”

“Why?” Wyatt asked.

“To cause chaos. And cover something bigger.”

Another wave of masked fighters appeared, forcing Sera’s squad back toward the barricades.

THE FIERCEST FIGHT

A towering intruder—muscular, masked, wielding a steel combat staff—charged Sera like a bull.

The impact of his first swing split the air.

Sera blocked with both forearms. The force sent her sliding back in the dirt.

He was stronger than anyone she’d fought before.

He swung again.
Sera rolled.
The staff slammed the ground, sending dirt flying.

She rose and countered—two punches, one kick.
He barely flinched.

He grabbed her by the vest and hurled her into the mud.

“SERA!” Liam shouted, running toward her—until two intruders tackled him.

Sera wiped blood from her lip, stood again, and charged. She ducked under the staff, slammed her palm into the man’s jaw, then swept behind him and locked her arm around his throat.

He struggled—then spun, trying to slam her into the ground.

She tightened the choke.
Harder.
Harder.

The giant fell to his knees.

Then dropped, unconscious.

Sera staggered back, panting.

There was no time to celebrate.

THE REVELATION

From the smoke, a new figure emerged—moving calmly, almost gracefully, unlike the others.
Tall.
Dark coat.
Unmasked.

He clapped slowly.

“Well done, Cadet Jones,” he said. His voice was rich, smooth, chilling. “Blackwood has produced something… exceptional.”

Sera glared.
“Who are you?”

“A man testing the academy’s… weaknesses.”

He snapped his fingers.

Half the intruders immediately ceased fighting—switching targets, forming around him in coordinated formation.

An elite strike unit.

Sera’s blood ran cold.

This entire day—the war game, the sabotage, the breach—had been orchestrated.

By him.

And he wasn’t finished.

“Let’s see,” he smiled, “if you’re strong enough to survive the real exam.”

The intruders surged forward—

And the battlefield exploded into a full, brutal, hand-to-hand war.

BLACKWOOD: THE BATTLEFIELD IGNITES

The elite strike unit charged as one, black armor glinting beneath the stadium lights. The ground shook under their synchronized steps—silent, deadly, ruthless.

Sera didn’t wait.

“FORM DEFENSIVE ARC!” she shouted.

Her squad shifted instantly, forming a semicircle—shields up, knees bent, ready.

But the intruders didn’t slow.

They hit like a hurricane.

THE COLLISION

The first wave crashed into Sera’s line, sending sparks flying as batons met rifle stocks. Sera parried a strike aimed at her head, twisted her rifle sideways, and smashed the buttstock into an attacker’s jaw.

He went down—but two more replaced him.

“Sera, left!” Liam yelled.

She spun just in time to block a downward strike. The electric discharge jolted her arm, numbing her fingers. She clenched her jaw through the pain and slammed her elbow into the attacker’s throat.

He gagged and fell.

But the elite fighters kept coming—faster, more coordinated, more brutal.

THE BLADE IN THE SMOKE

Suddenly, a flash of metal.

One intruder drew a combat knife, sleek and deadly.

Wyatt froze.

Sera didn’t.

“Back!” she shouted, shoving Wyatt aside just as the blade slashed through empty air.

The knife-wielder moved like a phantom—smooth, calculated, precise. Every movement was lethal.

Sera dodged a slash aimed at her ribs, feeling the blade kiss her vest. The intruder lunged forward again.

She sidestepped, grabbed his wrist, and twisted sharply—

—but he dropped the knife mid-grapple and kicked it up with his boot, sending it spinning high into the air.

He caught it again.

Effortless.
Elegant.
Terrifying.

This was no intruder.
This was an assassin.

Sera’s instinct kicked in: close distance, eliminate angles.

She charged.

He slashed.

She felt the blade tear across her bicep—hot pain, fast bleeding—but she didn’t stop. She slammed into him full force, driving him backward into the mud.

The knife flew from his grasp.

They rolled.

He pinned her.

She reversed the pin.

He wrapped a wire around her wrist.

She tore it free and struck his jaw with her forehead.

Crack.

He went limp.

Sera staggered to her feet, clutching her bleeding arm.

She didn’t have time to breathe.

THE HEAVY UNIT ARRIVES

On the ridge above the training field, metallic footsteps echoed.

Reynolds looked up and went pale.

“No… no way…”

Silhouettes emerged from the smoke—massive figures clad in reinforced exoskeleton suits. Their eyes glowed with red optical sensors.

Heavies.

Special-operations exo-units used only for extreme combat scenarios.

Blackwood had never deployed them on cadets.
Ever.

But they were here.

And they were descending the ridge.

“RETREAT! FALL BACK TO THE BARRICADE!” Reynolds screamed.

But Sera saw Liam struggling against two attackers, saw cadets overwhelmed, saw Wyatt backing away from a heavy unit like a terrified child.

She didn’t move.

She ran back toward the danger.

BATTLE AGAINST THE BEAST

The heavy unit reached the field, its metallic fists sinking into the dirt with each step.

It locked onto three cadets.

Its targeting system beeped.

It charged.

Sera sprinted, screaming, “DOWN!”

The cadets dove aside as the heavy plowed through the barricade like it was made of paper.

It turned toward Sera.

She grabbed a smoke grenade from her belt, pulled the pin, and threw it at its face.

A cloud of white swallowed the machine.

But it still attacked—blind but deadly—swinging its massive arms through the smoke. Each swing carried enough force to break a spine.

Sera slid under one of its blows, grabbed a steel training pole from the ground, and leapt onto its back.

She jammed the pole into the vent ports along the spine.

The machine bucked violently.

She held on.

It spun.

She tightened her grip.

Then the pole caught in the joint and the exo-suit cracked, sparks flying.

The heavy staggered, malfunctioning—just long enough for Liam to sprint in and tackle its legs.

The machine collapsed.

Sera jumped clear as the heavy slammed into the mud, sparks erupting.

She and Liam locked eyes—breathing, shaking, covered in dirt and blood.

But there were still more enemies.

Dozens.

THE MYSTERIOUS LEADER RETURNS

From atop the ridge, the unmasked leader watched with quiet interest. He tilted his head as if examining a fascinating experiment.

When Sera met his gaze, he smiled.

He raised one hand—

—and his soldiers froze mid-fight.

The battlefield fell silent.

Cadets gasped, catching their breath, trembling.

Even the broken heavy unit stopped moving, as if obeying a silent command.

The leader stepped forward.

“Cadet Seraphina Jones,” he said. “You are even more extraordinary than the reports suggested.”

Sera spat blood.
“Who sent you?”

He chuckled softly.

“Oh, cadet… I wasn’t sent. I came on my own.”

She narrowed her eyes.
“Why?”

“To see,” he whispered, “whether Blackwood’s newest project is ready.”

“Ready for what?”

His smile widened.

“For war.”

At his signal, every intruder turned toward her.

Not the academy.
Not the instructors.

Her.

Sera realized the horrifying truth:

This whole attack was not on Blackwood—

It was on her.

BLACKWOOD: THE NIGHT THE ACADEMY BURNED

Every intruder on the field shifted formation, turning their bodies toward Sera like iron filings drawn to a magnet. The leader lowered his hand, and the entire strike unit advanced.

Not rushing.

Marching.

Slow.
Precise.
Predatory.

The ground vibrated beneath their steps.

Sera took a breath, chest heaving. Liam limped to her side. Wyatt gripped his shaking rifle with white knuckles. Around them, dozens of cadets rose to their feet, bruised and bleeding, but refusing to back down.

Even Reynolds stood closer to Sera than to the instructors.

For the first time, they were not looking at her as a “cadet.”

They were looking at her as their only hope.

“Jones,” Liam whispered, “they’re coming right for you.”

“I know.”

“What do we do?”

She didn’t flinch.
She didn’t blink.

“We fight.”

THE SECOND COLLISION — EVEN DEADLIER

The strike unit broke into a sprint.

Sera braced—

—and the battlefield exploded once more.

Sera’s squad collided with the intruders like steel meeting lightning. Fists, batons, boots, elbows—all slamming in rapid-fire bursts. The world became a blur of motion.

A masked soldier swung at Sera.
She blocked, twisted his arm, and threw him into two others.

Liam delivered a brutal shoulder charge to another opponent, knocking him off his feet.

Wyatt smashed a baton-wielder with the edge of his shield, sending the man spinning.

But the enemies were stronger.
Faster.
Trained.

And they were matching Sera’s every move.

Three surrounded her.

One attacked from the left.
She dodged and counterpunched his temple.

Another swung a baton.
She caught his wrist, pulled him forward, and kneed his abdomen.

The third kicked high—
She blocked, swept his leg, and slammed him into the ground.

But then—

FOUR MORE replaced them.

“Sera, behind you!” Wyatt shouted.

Too late.

A powerful kick slammed into her spine. She stumbled forward. A baton cracked across her ribs, sending electricity shooting through her torso. She gasped, muscles locking—

—but she forced herself to stay upright, teeth gritted against the surge.

Another intruder charged her.

She used the momentum of the electric shock—pivoted—
and punched him straight in the throat.

He fell instantly.

More kept coming.

THE BARRAGE OF BLOWS

An intruder leaped at her from behind.
Sera rolled away just as a metal boot smashed into the ground where her head had been.

Another attacker grabbed her vest, dragging her backward.

She twisted, slammed her elbow into his chin, seized his wrist, and used his weight to flip him over her shoulder.

Two more attacked at once.

One kicked her leg.
The other hit her shoulder.

Pain shot down her arm—blinding, intense.

Sera hissed but didn’t drop.

She spun low, sweeping both attackers off their feet with a single leg arc. Dirt flew. Bodies hit the ground.

But she was slowing down.

Bleeding.
Bruised.
Running out of breath.

Meanwhile, the intruders fought with inhuman endurance.

LIAM FALLS

Across the chaos, Liam was holding off three men at once.

One punched his jaw.
Another hit his ribs.
The third struck his kneecap.

He dropped to one knee, groaning.

“LIAM!” Sera shouted.

She tried to run to him—but an intruder blocked her path, slamming a knee into her stomach. She gasped, staggered, but punched back with her remaining strength, cracking his visor.

She pushed past him—
but another intruder grabbed her arm and spun her around, slamming her into the mud.

She hit hard.

Vision blurred.

The leader’s voice echoed through the smoke:

“Do you see now, Cadet Jones? Alone, you are unmatched.
But surrounded…
even you break.”

Sera forced herself up, shaking.

“I don’t break.”

“Then prove it.”

THE ELITE DUELLISTS ENTER

From behind the leader, two new fighters stepped forward.

Unmasked.
Expressionless.
Twin brothers.

They moved like shadows come alive.
Fluid.
Deadly.

Unlike the others, they carried no weapons.

They didn’t need any.

They targeted Sera immediately.

She took a fighting stance.

The first attacked with a flying knee.
She dodged—but barely.

The second swept her feet from the other side.
She rolled back, avoiding the kick by inches.

They were faster than she was.

Stronger than the rest.

Collaborating like a single mind split into two bodies.

The first brother threw a spinning backfist—
Sera blocked, but the impact spun her sideways.

The second brother launched a roundhouse kick—
It hit her ribs, hard.

She tasted blood.

Her vision dimmed for a second.

“Sera, MOVE!” Liam shouted from the ground.

She snapped back into focus.

The twins attacked again.

This time, Sera countered.

The first threw a punch—
She grabbed his wrist, twisted, and elbowed his jaw.

The second aimed a kick—
She caught his ankle mid-air and slammed him into his brother.

Both staggered.

Sera exhaled sharply.

But they recovered instantly.
Too fast.

They rushed her again.

One punched.
One kicked.
Both struck from different angles.

She deflected—barely—
but one blow landed across her cheek.

Blood sprayed.

Pain blazed.

Her legs faltered.

She dropped to one knee.

The twins prepared their finishing strike.

THE SURGE OF WILLPOWER

Sera heard distant shouts.
Cadets crying out.
Wyatt being thrown backward.
Reynolds struggling.
Liam still crawling toward her, desperate to help.

The battlefield was burning around her.

Smoke.
Screams.
Sparks.
Cracked earth.

And in the center—

Her.

A single cadet.

A target.

A threat.

A weapon.

A legend in the making.

The twins charged to finish her.

Sera closed her eyes for one second.

And something inside her snapped into place.

She surged upward with a roar—

Caught both twins by their collars—

And slammed their skulls together with a thunderous CRACK.

They fell.

Unconscious.

The battlefield froze.
Even the intruders stopped.

Sera stood there—bleeding, panting, trembling—
but unbroken.

The leader smiled slowly.

“Magnificent.”

He raised his hand again.

“All units—
capture her alive.”

Every remaining intruder turned toward Sera.

And the most brutal phase of the battle was about to begin. BLACKWOOD: NIGHT OF THE UNSEEN WAR — When Victory Turned Into a Trap No One Escapes